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U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE, 
STATES  RELATIONS  SERVICE^ 


UNiV.  OF  FL  Llj 
A.  C.  TRUE,  Director.  DOCUMENTS  Db 


HOW  TEACHERS  IN  RURAL  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS  MAY  USE 
FARMERS'  BULLETIN  755,  COMMON  BIRDS  OF  SOUTH- 
EASTERN UNITED  STATES  IN  RELATION  TO  MM^ULTURE, 

Range  of  use. — The  southeastern  part  of  the  United  States,  includ- 
ing North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Florida,  Alabama, 
Tennessee,  Mississippi,  Arkansas,  Louisiana,  eastern  Oklahoma, 
eastern  Texas,  and  small  portions  of  adjoining  States. 

Relation  to  the  courses  of  study. — This  bulletin  is  especially  valuable 
in  connection  with  the  study  of  elementary  agriculture  as  it  relates 
to  the  control  of  economic  insects.  In  connection  with  nature- 
study  work  this  bulletin  will  prove  especially  helpful. 

Topics  in  agriculture. — (1)  Cotton — insect  enemies  and  birds 
that  destroy  them,  pp.  1-3;  (2)  corn  and  other  grams — insect  enemies 
and  birds  that  destroy  them,  pp.  3-4;  (3)  forage  crops — insect  enemies 
and  birds  that  destroy  them,  pp.  4-5;  (4)  truck  crops,  p.  5. 

Study  questions. — Topic  1:  Make  a  list  of  the  insect  enemies  of 
cotton  found  in  the  community.  Compare  this  list  with  the  insect 
enemies  of  cotton  mentioned  in  the  bulletin.  What  birds  mentioned 
as  enemies  of  each  of  the  local  insects  are  found  in  the  community  ? 
Make  a  list  of  these  birds  in  the  order  of  their  value  as  insect  destroyers. 

Topic  2:  Name  in  the  order  of  importance  the  insect  pests  that 
attack  corn.  Make  a  list  of  the  insect  enemies  of  corn  found  in  the 
community.  In  what  way  does  each  kind  of  insect  injure  corn? 
What  birds  named  in  the  bulletin  destroy  each  kind  of  insect? 
Which  of  these  birds  are  found  in  the  community? 

Topic  3:  What  insects  attack  clover  plants?  Are  such  insects 
found  in  the  community?  In  what  way  does  each  damage  clover? 
List  the  names  of  birds  that  destroy  each  kind  of  insect.  Which  of 
these  are  found  in  the  community  ?  Make  a  list  of  other  forage  crops 
grown  in  the  community;  also  list  the  insect  enemies  of  each  of  these 
plants.     What  birds  destroy  these  insects  ? 

Topic  4:  What  evidence  is  there  that  garden  and  orchard  insects 
are  destroyed  by  birds?  Wnat  insects  do  most  damage  to  gardens 
and  orchards  of  the  community  ?  What  birds  are  seen  most  frequently 
in  gardens  and  orchards  ? 

General  questions:  Make  a  list  of  the  birds  that  are  believed  to  do 
injury  to  field,  orchard,  and  garden  crops,  stating  opposite  the  name 
of  each  bird  the  crop  damaged  and  the  nature  of  the  damage.  Do 
the  names  of  these  birds  appear  in  the  lists  of  insect-destroying  birds  ? 
Compare  the  damage  and  good  done  by  these  birds.  Should  they 
be  protected  ?  WTiat  is  the  attitude  of  the  people  of  the  community 
toward  the  protection  of  birds  ? 

Nature-study  topics. — (1)  Study  the  birds  named  in  the  bulletin 
that  are  f ound  in  the  community  after  the  following  outline : 

1.  General  form,  size,  and  appearance. 

2.  Color — head,  throat,  back,  breast,  tail  of  both  sexes. 

3.  Food  and  how  procured. 

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UNIVERSITY  OF  FLORIDA 


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4.  Manner  of  flight — slow,  rapid,  direct,  soaring,  sailing,  flapping, 
undulating. 

5.  Disposition — alert,  pensive;  social,  solitary;  wary,  unsuspicious. 

6.  Nesting — location,  kind. 

7.  Resident,  migrant. 

8.  Places  frequented — woods,  fields,  swamps,  vards. 

9.  Kinds  of  songs,  notes,  calls,  etc.     Learn  to  imitate. 

10.  Useful,  how  ?     Harmful,  how? 

(2)  Classify  the  birds  according  to  their  method  of  catching  insects. 
The  following  groups  may  be  recognized:  (1)  Those  that  secure  their 
food  by  climbing  over  the  trunks  and  branches  of  trees;  (2)  those  that 
chisel  into  dead  or  living  wood;  (3)  those  that  feed  upon  insects  living 
among  the  foliage  and  smaller  branches;  (4)  those  that  get  their  food 
largely  on  or  near  the  ground;  (5)  those  that  catch  insects  while  on 
the  wing  either  by  darting  out  momentarily  from  some  perch  or  by  sail- 
ing in  the  air  for  longer  periods. 

(3)  Classify  all  birds  found  in  the  community  under  the  following 
groups:  (a)  Permanent  residents,  (b)  summer  residents,  (c)  winter 
residents,  and  (d)  transients.  Note  in  connection  with  each  migra- 
tory bird  the  dates  of  its  arrival  and  departure. 

Illustrative  material. — Secure  colored  pictures  of  birds  and  place 
them  at  conspicuous  points  in  the  schoolroom.  Abandoned  nests 
should  be  collected  for  study.     Make  and  preserve  bird  drawings. 

Practical  exercises. — Make  and  set  up  on  the  school  grounds  bird 
houses,  protected  feeding  places,  and  drinking  fountains.  Encourage 
birds  to  visit  the  school  grounds  by  providing  them  food,  especially 
in  cold  or  stormy  weather.  Such  small  seeds  as  those  of  millet,  hemp, 
buckwheat,  sunfiower,  bits  of  suet,  and  even  lunch  scraps  are  suitable 
articles  of  food  for  birds.  Visits  to  places  frequented  by  birds  should 
be  made  ;for  the  purpose  of  securing  the  information  called  for  in 
topics  for  study.  All  information  should  be  carefully  copied  in  well- 
bound  notebooks. 

Correlations. — Language  work  is  provided  in  keeping  records  of 
information  concerning  bird  studies.  Interesting  drawing  exercises 
are  provided  by  outlining  and  coloring  the  various  birds  studied. 
Locate  on  the  map  the  summer  and  winter  homes  of  migratory  or 
transient  birds.  Compare  these  sections,  States,  or  countries  with 
reference  to  climate,  people,  industries,  etc.  By  referring  to  the 
bulletin  much  valuable  material  may  be  found,  from  which  exercises 
in  arithmetic  may  be  developed.  "The  following  serve  as  examples: 
(1)  If  one  bird  eats  on  an  average  of  50  insects  per  day  and  there  is  an 
average  of  two  birds  per  acre,  how  many  insects  are  consumed  per 
day  on  an  80-acre  farm  ?  How  many  are  consumed  in  30  days  %  (2) 
If  there  is  an  average  of  one  bird  per  acre  throughout  the  State,  how 
many  birds  in  the  State  8  How  many  insects  would  be  destroyed  by 
all  the  birds  of  the  State  during  the  months  of  May,  June,  July, 
August,  and  September? 

E.  A.  Miller, 
Specialist  in  Agricultural  Education. 

Approved : 

C.  H.  Lane, 

Chief  Specialist  in  Agricultural  Education. 

January  30,  1917. 

WASHINGTON  :  GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE  :  1917 


